Did You Know?

Climate Change

Collecting water is expected to become even more difficult due to the effects of global warming

Wise Words

"When the well is dry, we learn the worth of water."

Benjamin Franklin

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Did You Know?

Sanitation is key

Today 2.5 billion people, including almost one billion children, live without basic sanitation.

Wise Words

"By means of water, we give life to everything."

Koran, 21:30

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Did You Know?

Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.

More than one in six people worldwide - 894 million - don't have access to clean drinking-water.

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Beautiful Words from...

Donald Worster

"Rain is a blessing when it falls gently on parched fields, turning the earth green, causing the birds to sing."

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Words of hope from...

Jean-Michel Cousteau

"We have the ability to provide clean water for every man, woman and child on the Earth. What has been lacking is the collective will to accomplish this. What are we waiting for?"

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Water

Issues

Quick Fact:

Drought affects twice as much of the earth's surface now as it did thirty years ago.

Quick Fact:

Washing hands with soap can reduce the risk of diarrhoeal diseases by up to 47%

Quick Fact:

17% of people in the world do not have access to clean water

Quick Fact:

it takes 2,000 to 5,000 litres of water to produce one persons daily food.

Quick Fact:

World population has doubled since 1950. Our water consumption has increased six-fold.

Quick Fact:

3,600 children die each day from water-borne diseases.

Quick Fact:

Many women walk up to 4 hours each day just to collect their daily water.

Water

Global Water Crisis

Today 1 billion people live without clean drinking water. Water effects everything including education, health and poverty.

Many people have to walk for hours just to collect enough water for the day. Often, the water that they collect is contaminated with germs that can cause very serious illnesses or even death.

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Health and Sanitation

Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren't strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses.

With basic education about proper sanitation, such as hand-washing and the use of latrines, many fatal diseases can be avoided.

Women and Children

The work of collecting water usually falls to the women and children of the family. Many have to spend up to 4 hours each day walking to the nearest water source to provide their family with enough water for the day. Often, the water that they collect is contaminated with germs that can cause very serious illnesses or even death.

The time that is spent walking to collect water is not only a dangerous time for them, but is also time that is not spent learning to read and write, making an income, or caring for the younger children in the family. The placements of water wells within villages would mean the villagers would spend only 15 minutes to collect their water and the water that they do collect would be clean and safe.

Poverty

When family members get sick from contaminated water or poor sanitation this means money must be spent on doctors bills and more time will be spent away from any income making activities. This causes poor families to become even poorer. It’s a terrible downward spiral.

A water well within the village changes the lives of the people who live there for the better.

Water Management

A shortage of available water happens even in areas where there is a lot of rainfall or freshwater. If the water is not properly stored, used and shared in the communities, there may not be enough water to meet the needs of households, farms, and industries in the area.

Good water management also reduces breeding sites for insects like mosquitoes that can transmit diseases and prevents the spread of water-borne infections.

Questions about water

What are the main issues regarding water access?

How do these issues vary in different communities?

How would a water well change the lives of the people who had access to it?

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Act Out the Issue

Kids Go Global - Explore, Act, Inspire.

Kids Go Global is a place for Elementary, Junior and Senior High schools to explore Global Issues and then work alone or with NGOs to take action locally and internationally. It also supports students acting out the issues using theatre and provides opportunities to share student work and projects. It is a partnership between schools, NGOs and Trickster Theatre.